[Thomas Mann and infectious diseases in the first half of the 20th century. Part I: Typhoid fever, meningitis and syphilis]. / Thomas Mann y las enfermedades infecciosas en la primera mitad del siglo XX. Parte I: Fiebre tifoidea, meningitis y sífilis.

Surely, Thomas Mann is today a forgotten writer, with only a little and precious group of readers between our young colleagues. However, perhaps could be useful for the others some knowledge about his vision of the infectious diseases in the first half of the twentieth century, when he wrote the novels here reviewed. Typhoid fever, meningitis, tuberculosis, syphilis and cholera are present in Mann's thematic from Buddenbrooks till Doktor Faustus, always with a personal focus, more on spirit -the will to live - rather than on flesh and bones… or bacteria. One of his later and minor works let us throw an ironical glance over transplant, no so named, indeed, by Mann, who speaks of "exchange". In this first part we present typhoid fever, meningitis and syphilis.

The History and Current Relevance of the Eponymous Signs of Meningitis.

During the past several decades, researchers have shown that the eponymous signs of meningitis have reduced sensitivity and specificity compared with when they were originally described. This may be because of the changing epidemiology of meningitis and its treatment or it may be because of variations in performance of the maneuvers. For example, in the original descriptions, the Kernig sign (resistance of leg extension) is best elicited with the patient sitting and the Brudzinski nape of the neck sign involves holding down the patient's chest as the neck is flexed. These and other lesser-known signs of meningitis by Amoss, Bikeles and Edelmann all relate to the mechanics of stretching inflamed meninges, and this review will allow the clinician to understand how the history related to these maneuvers is still germane to clinical practice today.

O retrato da epidemia de meningite em 1971 e 1974 nos jornais O Globo e Folha de S. Paulo / The picture of meningitis epidemic in 1971 and 1974 in the newspapers O Globo and Folha de S. Paulo / El retrato de la epidemia de meningitis en 1971 y 1974 en los periódicos O Globo y Folha de S. Paulo

Este artigo apresenta um recorte analítico acerca da cobertura dos jornais Folha de S. Paulo e O Globosobre a epidemia de meningite que eclodiu em 1971, e atingiu seu ápice em 1974. Essa epidemia surge naépoca em que o Brasil vivia sob o regime ditatorial e se encontrava no pior período, conhecido como “anosde chumbo” (1968- 1972). Do ponto de vista teórico, desenvolvemos uma discussão sobre a evolução dosconceitos de “saúde”, “doença” e “epidemias”, além de fazer um breve histórico da epidemia de meningite naépoca. A partir da análise dos jornais, verifica-se como a doença foi comunicada e também se observa comono início ela quase não era divulgada, tendo um salto do número de publicações e uma grande exposiçãopelos meios de comunicação a partir de 1974...

This article presents an analytical approach about media coverage on Folha de S. Paulo and O Globo ofmeningitis epidemic that broke out in 1971, and reached its peak in 1974. This epidemic comes at a timewhen Brazil was under the dictatorship and it was in the worst period, known as the “years of lead” (1968-1972). From a theoretical point of view, we have developed a discussion of the evolution of the concepts of“health”, “disease” and “epidemics”, in addition to a brief history of meningitis epidemic at the time. Fromthe analysis of the newspapers, it appears as the disease has been reported, and also notes how at first shewas barely released, with a jump in the number of publications and a major exhibition by the media since1974...

Este artículo presenta un enfoque analítico en la portada de los periódicos Folha de S. Paulo y O Globo sobreepidemia de meningitis que estalló en 1971, y alcanzó su punto máximo en 1974. Esta epidemia llega en unmomento en que Brasil estaba bajo la dictadura y fue en el peor período, conocido como los “años de plomo”(1968-1972). Desde un punto de vista teórico, se ha desarrollado un análisis de la evolución de los conceptosde “enfermedad” de “salud” y “epidemias”, además de una breve historia de la epidemia de meningitis enel momento. A partir del análisis de los periódicos, parece que la enfermedad ha sido reportada, y tambiénobserva cómo al principio ella era apenas lanzado, con un salto en el número de publicaciones y una granexposición en los medios desde 1974...

Al-Akhawayni and the early descriptions of meningitis.

Abubakr Rabi-ibn Ahmad Akhawayni Bukhari, also known as Al-Akhawayni, was a Persian physician who lived in the Near East during an age in which medical knowledge blossomed in the Islamic world. This era, the "Islamic Golden Age," extended from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. During his lifetime as a physician, Al-Akhawayni was famous for his expertise in medicine, including disorders that would be considered neurological today. In his extant book Hidayat al-Muta`allemin fi al-Tibb [A Scholar's Guide to Medicine], he provided an early description of what is probably meningitis. He illustrated the membranes surrounding the brain tissue in detail and described manifestations resulting from their inflammation.

Meningitis, a whirlpool of death: literary reflections and Russian cultural beliefs.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that cover the central nervous system. The most frequent causes of the disease are viruses and bacteria. In the past, the disease was commonly referred to as "brain fever" or "brain inflammation," and extreme temperatures, sun, rain, mental distress, and other factors were believed to be its potent triggers. By the beginning of the twentieth century, these beliefs faded away in the United States and most western European countries. In contrast, some of these archaic notions persist in Russia, where cold air, draft, wet hair, and failure to cover one's head with a hat during winter are perceived as serious risks for contracting meningitis. These sentiments are reflected in the prose of Solzhenitsyn and other contemporary Russian authors. However, in the fictional literature of the nineteenth century, emotional or intellectual disturbances rather than the wrath of winter were portrayed worldwide as the most frequent cause of brain inflammation. Both physicians and laity blamed nervous breakdown or mental distress for the development of meningitis and the tragic deaths of the eminent Russian writer Gogol, talented poet Nadson, and heir to the Imperial throne Grand Duke Nicholas Romanov. Even in the twentieth century, esteemed Russian artists, including Pasternak, Paustovsky, and Roerich, highlighted this belief. Following the discovery of the infectious nature of meningitis, fictional depictions of the illness changed. While literary accounts of brain inflammation by the realists (e.g., Dostoevsky and Flaubert) were rather imprecise, the descriptions of the course and symptoms of meningitis by the modernists (e.g., Balmont, Hesse, and Huxley) became detailed and recognizable. Typically, the victim of the disease is a boy, and his imminent agony is preceded by immense suffering that devastates his parents. The dreadful experience of seeing children in the merciless clutches of meningitis had a profound personal effect on Maugham, Twain, and Russian philosopher Tikhomirov, changing their spiritual convictions. However, several authors, among them Avseenko, Davydov, Gazdanov, and Shmelyov, created uplifting stories of survival of the affliction. In this chapter, references to meningitis in the medical and fictional literature are explored through a cultural and historical prism, which may help readers to understand how and why this disease has held a special significance in the Russian psyche.

Unusual climatic conditions and infectious diseases: observations made by Hippocrates.

About 2500 years ago, Hippocrates made noteworthy observations about the influence of climate on public health. He believed that people living in cities with different climate may suffer from different diseases. Hippocrates also observed that abrupt climatic changes or unusual weather conditions affect public health, especially the incidence and severity of various infectious diseases, including gastrointestinal infections, tuberculosis, and central nervous system infections. We believe that Hippocrates' scientific observations are great early historic examples that stress to modern infectious diseases researchers and clinicians the need to study intensively the effect of the occurring global climate changes to infectious diseases in order to help in the prevention of possible epidemics of infections.

["Meningitis epidemic" in Italy in 2007]. / Epidemia" di meningite in Italia nel 2007.

Immuno and chemo prophylaxis are at present valid tools for meningitidis control and prevention. Meningitidis is however a severe, not infrequent, disease, with a great emotional impact on the population, as shown by the reactions that followed the recent epidemic in Veneto. Public Health personnel must be prepared to give a rapid and correct information in order to allow everybody to act properly to maintain health.

The irony of being Oscar: the legendary life and death of Oscar Wilde.

In this second in a series of famous historic personages who suffered from ear disease (see Yardley M, Rutka J. Troy, Mycenae, and the Otologic Demise of Herr Heinrich Schliemann. J Otolaryngol 1998; 27:217-221), we review the life and otology-related death of the legendary playwright Oscar Wilde. In his time, Wilde ridiculed the social hypocrisy of the Victorian age, championed the individual, and pleaded for a more tolerant and forgiving society in his many books, plays, and letters. Very much the acerbic and iconoclastic wit, Wilde's private and later very public affair de coeur with Lord Alfred Douglas, the son of the Marquis of Queensberry, still continues to interest and paradoxically shock our sensitivities. Wilde's ultimate demise from an otogenic bacterial meningitis appears all the more ironic when one considers the role his father, Sir William Wilde, played as one of the founding fathers of modern otology.

Doença meningocócica - estudo epidemiológico comparativo em nível mundial, período 1887-1997

Estudou-se comparativamente, no período 1887-1997, o comportamento da doença meningocócica na Europa, Américas, África, Ásia e Oceania, no que se refere a distribuiçäo geográfica, incidência e letalidade, cepas de meningococos predominantes e fatores predisponentes. Como fonte de dados foram utilizados os diversos boletins epidemiológicos da Organizaçäo Mundial de Saúde, da Organizaçäo Pan Americana de Saúde e de órgäos governamentais de saúde de vários países, bem como artigos pertinentes à doença meningocócica publicados em livros e periódicos nacionais e internacionais. Os dados relativos a casos e óbitos notificados foram agrupados em períodos: 1887 a 1913; 1914 a 1918 (Primeira Guerra Mundial); 1919 a 1928; 1929 a 1938 (Depressäo Econômica Mundial); 1939 a 1945 (Segunda Guerra Mundial); 1946 a 1949 (período imediatamente pós-guerra) e as décadas de 1950 a 1990. Para a Oceania somente há dados disponíveis a partir de 1915. Foram calculados os coeficientes anuais de incidência (casos/100.000 hab/ano) e de letalidade (por cento), usando para os primeiros os dados populacionais disponíveis no Demographic Yearbook (ONU0 . Para o Brasil, foram usados os dados populacionais do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE)